Life in the 18th century was grim, man. No holds barred from this storyteller. Things go from bad to awful to horrendous to wtf-did-these-people-have-to-live-for-anyway? The thin thread of romance these stories have running through them is fraying. While the actual historical events references are fascinating, the relationship between Lydia and Thomas is becoming a bit over-tried. I get the ideas, but the execution lacks the je ne sait quoi that makes such clandestine forbidden loves of the mid-1700s so appealing. They’ve faced trial after trial piled on something that was perhaps a bit flighty to start off with. I kept waiting for Lydia to have reason to believe the one man and not the other when Thomas was the one who had the trustworthy character throughout—and yet... it makes her look fickle and unintelligent, which is maybe what the author was aiming for here, but definitely not the picture we had of her in the first novels. Though, she has proven to make rash and hasty decisions in the past. I wanted increased backbone from her, not a disintegration. She was showing it before, and then it all collapsed like a flimsy card house. I suppose getting thrown in Bedlam didn’t help…

I like following Thomas around as he stumbles on dead bodies and helps people with his doctor’s expertise and cuts up and dissects body parts. His blind mentor is a dang good character, too. So is the Oxford Coroner, who’s the original father-figure to Lady Farrell (honest, don’t know why she didn’t stick with this one when she knew the other was a sneaky bastard already—silly woman). There are some real grandpa-gems in these stories. And in the context of the medical knowledge of the day, all these doctor-types are such captivating speakers throughout the stories. The way Dr Silkstone assists in solving the crimes with forensic evidence is interesting and I like the addition of court procedurals. I almost want to say if this was what we were following, and if Lydia was only a good friend with future potential up to now (not yet explored and consummated) —well, I don’t know, but it might have been a better foundation for their interest and commitment. The stories would be just as good (maybe better) without the restrained ‘romance’ on the side.

Still, the cases presented are interesting and as they’re based on actual events from history, even more appealing.

I’m heading to the last (as far as I know) in this series, and it better not end the same way the last few have ended abruptly on cliffhanger heart-stoppers.